Shh! Dirty Little Parenting Secrets

Parenting is not an exact science — it’s a messy improvisation. For every one “child whisperer” expert, there are 4,000 parents just trying to keep spit up/juice boxes/soccer mud/random glitter/mystery goo/sweatsock funk off their last clean shirt.
There are those days when “good enough” is simply good enough. Shortcuts and outright trickery are a part of life as a parent.

Kids and competition: Keeping it fun and positive

If parents do a Google search on “kids and competition” they will come up with over three million hits. Some are news stories on events and others are articles that inform about harmful competition, ways to take competition out of everyday games, how the pressure to succeed can be overwhelming, and the harmful effects of training your child like a professional athlete.

While there can be drawbacks to competition, parents should remember there are many benefits as well. Michael and Tracy Davis act as coach and assistant coach on their kids’ soccer and baseball teams. They say children learn valuable life lessons through competition, such as the joy of putting forth effort, good sportsmanship, leading by example, having a positive attitude, and that being knocked down or losing is not the end of the world.

Coping with parental guilt

Guilt. It’s a common emotion affecting most parents. While it’s a normal occurrence, most parents are reluctant to talk about it. Some are worried about exposing the reasons why they feel guilty and others are concerned over the guilt of feeling guilty.

Often, feelings of guilt stem from both societal pressures and internal expectations, said Calisa Nickelson, mother of two, licensed professional counselor and founder of Seasons Life Coaching & Counseling. Parents feel guilty for a wide variety of reasons. Issues with time management, emotional support, discipline, eating habits and even environmental awareness were all reasons cited by Nickelson.

Common Sense Media is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology.

Jason is 12 years old and has autism. He doesn’t like loud noises, likes order and routine, but more importantly, he loves to write. His stories are a way to express himself to a world that often doesn’t understand him. He submits his stories to an online website and finds a friend in another writer, a girl named Rebecca, who goes by the name Phoenix Bird. She likes his stories and accepts him…”

“Chocolate Me” wished he was more like the children in his neighborhood with straight hair, light skin, and traditional American names. He begins to struggle with his self-esteem when the other kids tease him about his physical characteristics as if they are problems, or abnormalities. It takes the child’s mother to show him that what makes him different makes him great.”

Liam and Max start the summer like they did as kids, digging for treasure. They find a knife and later that day a baby. As the summer progresses Max begins to grow up and distant, and, while Liam loses a friend he gains a little sister, and his mother, the artist, gains a new medium, and his father, the writer, gains a new story.